Toy blow pipe and ball



Sept. 6, 1955 c. B. KING TOY BLOW PIPE AND BALL Filed Feb. 5, 1953 INVENTOR. (ar/ 5 Km BY j ATTORNEY- 1 United States Patent OfiFice Patented Sept. 6, 1955 TOY BLOW PIPE AND BALL Carl B. King, Lakin, Kans. Application February 5, 1953, Serial No. 335,260 5 Claims. (Cl. 46-44) This invention relates to pneumatic toys and more particularly to a toy in the form of a blow pipe having a cup-shaped portion with jet openings and a blow ball in the cup-shaped portion whereby air issuing from the jet openings will rotate the ball and cause same to float in spaced relation to the sides of the cup portion.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a pneumatic toy having a cup-shaped body and a lightweight ball therein with related apertures whereby air issuing from apertures in the cup-shaped body will cause said ball to rotate and to float in the air in spaced relation to the cup walls, said air passing by the apertures in the ball and causing a noise; to provide such a toy with spaced jet openings in the cup spaced from the axial center thereof and inclined whereby air issuing from the jet openings will be substantially tangentially of the ball when said ball is floating in spaced relation to the walls of the cup body; to provide such a toy with a blow ball having a plurality of spaced apertures in spaced circular rows with the spacing between said rows substantially the same as the spacing of the jet openings whereby said openings are so related that air issuing from the jet openings will cause the ball to rotate on an axis substantially perpendicular to the circular rows of apertures in the ball; to provide such a toy with an air tube connected to the cup body and a mouthpiece on said air tube by which an operator can blow air through the jet openings to rotate the ball in the cup body; and to provide a pneumatic toy with a cup-shaped body and light ball therein and means whereby an operator can blow to create variable effects and motions of the ball in the cup member.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pneumatic toy with the blow ball in a cup-shaped member.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the air tube, cup-shaped member and ball taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 3, the ball being in spaced relation to the walls of the cup-shaped member as when rotating in response to air issuing from the jet openings.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the pneumatic toy with the ball in the cup-shaped member.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cup-shaped body and air tube particularly illustrating the spacing of the jet openings in the cup-shaped member.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through a modified form of the pneumatic toy.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified form of ball.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a pneumatic toy constructed in accordance to the present invention and comprising a cup-shaped body 2, having a substantially hemispherical recess 3 therein. An air tube 4 having a passage 5 therein has one end suitably connected in an airtight joint with the cup-shaped body preferably at one side of the bottom of said body, whereby the tube extends from said body sloping slightly downwardly relative to a horizontal plane defined by the upper edge 6 of the cup-shaped body. The other end 7 of the tube 4 is adapted to be engaged in ones mouth for blowing air into the tube passage 5.

The cup body 2 is provided with laterally spaced jet openings 8 which provide communication between the air tube passage 5 and the recess 3. The jet openings 8 are spaced toward the tube 4 from the center of the bottom of recess 3 in the cup-shaped body and are inclined upwardly toward the side of said cup-shaped body opposite the tube 4, preferably to a point substantially midway between the center of the bottom of the recess and the upper edge 6 of the cup-shaped body. The center of the bottom of the recess 3 is a point of intersection in said bottom by a line perpendicular to a plane defined by the upper edge 6 of the cup-shaped body and extending through a point in said plane equally distant from said upper edge of the body. In the structure illustrated the upper portion 9 of the jet openings is parallel with the axis of the air tube and the lower portion 10 is inclined upwardly substantially in a line from the jet openings to the edge 6 on the opposite side of the cup-shaped body.

A ball 11, substantially spherical in shape and slightly less in diameter than the recess 3 in the cup-shaped body, rests in said recess. The ball 11 is hollow and of light weight, having a thin shell 12. A plurality of spaced apertures 13 extend through the ball shell and are arranged in laterally spaced, circular rows 14, with said circular rows lying in planes equally spaced from a great circle of the ball. The spacing between the circular rows of apertures substantially corresponds to the lateral spacing of the jet openings 8 in the cup-shaped member. Also the apertures 13 in one circular row are in alignment with the respective apertures in the other circular row, whereby, in effect, said respective apertures are in pairs as they pass the jet openings 8.

In using a pneumatic toy constructed as described, the air tube 4 is connected to a suitable source of air as by an operator blowing into the end 7 of the air tube to effect issuance of air from the jet openings 8 in laterally spaced jets. The jets of air issuing from the jet openings 8 impinge on the surface of the ball adjacent the center of the bottom of the cup recess 3, the force of the jets moving the lower portion of the ball away from the jet openings thereby rotating the ball in the recess 3. If the circular rows of apertures 13 in the ball 11 are not aligned with the jet openings 3, the jets of air tend to gradually change the axis of rotation of the ball until the circular rows of apertures are aligned with the jet openings and then the ball continues to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the planes of the circular rows of apertures.

The jets of air impinging on the peripheral surface of the ball adjacent the bottom of the recess 3 lift the ball from engagement with the walls of the cup-shaped member and cause the ball to continue to rotate and float in the air in spaced relation to the walls of the cup body. Also, the jets of air passing the apertures 13 in the ball cause a noise or whistle which enhances the amusement gained from the toy. Some of the air from the jets enters the apertures 13 and escapes through other apertures 13 in the ball. The escaping air causes an increase of air pressure on the top segment of the ball and holds said ball stabilized in the recess. Even though the air tube 4 is tilted while air is moving through the passage 5 therein the ball 11 tends to remain in the recess, rotating and simultaneously floating in spaced relation to the walls of the cup-shaped body. It has been found that the air tube may be tilted as much as 30 from the horizontal without the ball escaping from the recess 3.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 5, the

upper portion of the cup-shaped body 2 is closed by a transparent, hemispherical hood 15 whereby the ball is visible to the operator but retained in the cup-shaped member at all times. The hood may be perforated, or formed of a plurality of bars or the like, however, in the illustrated structure the wall 16 of the hood is imperforate and anopening 17 i is arranged in the wall of the cupshaped member onthe opposite side of the center of the bottom of the recess from the jet openings, whereby air entering the recess and effecting rotation of the ball may escape through the opening 17.

The operation of the modified form of pneumatic toy is the same as described relative to the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, except that the ball is retained in the recess at all times.

In the form of ball illustrated in Fig. 6 the ball 18 has a thin shell and is of the same construction as the ball 11 shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, except the apertures 19 which extend through the ball shell are staggered instead of being in pairs. The apertures 19 are in laterally spaced circular rows, the spacing between the rows substantially corresponding to the spacing between the jet openings 8 in a cup-shaped member adapted to receive the ball 18. The apertures 19 in one row are arranged in staggered relation to the apertures in the other row whereby during rotation of the ball in the cup-shaped member an aperture inone row passes its respective jet opening 8 and then the next aperture in the other row passes its respective jet opening.

It is believed obvious that l have provided an amusement toy that is economical to manufacture and easily operated to provide motion and floating of the ball, and simultaneously a whistle-like sound for enhancing the amusement gained from operation of the toy.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pneumatic toy comprising, a cup having a recess therein, said cup having spaced air passages communicating with the recess adjacent the bottom thereof and spaced from the bottom center, said passages being inclined upwardly toward a point between the bottom center and the upper edge of the opposite side of the cup, and a hollow lightweight thin shell ball in the recess, said ball being spherical and having a plurality of spaced apertures whereby air issuing from the passages will impinge on the lower portion of the ball and cause said ball to rotate and rise to float within the recess and some of the air will enter the apertures in the lower portion of the ball and escape through apertures in the top portion increasing the air pressure at said top portion to stabilize the ball.

2. A pneumatic toy comprising, a cup having a substantially hemispherical recess therein, said cup having laterally spaced air jet openings communicating with the recess in the cup, said jet openings being spaced from the bottom center of the recess and inclined toward the opposite side of the cup, and a hollow ball of light weight and having a thin shell resting in the cup recess, said ball being spherical and of a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the hemispherical recess and having a plurality of spaced apertures arranged in laterally spaced circular rows equally spaced from one of the great circles on the ball, the lateral spacing of the circular rows substantially corresponding to the lateral spacing of the jet openings whereby jets of air issuing from the jet openings will impinge on the lower portion of the ball and cause said ball to rotate and rise to float within the recess and a portion of the air to enter the ball through apertures at the bottom thereof and escape through apertures at the top portion of the ball increasing air pressure at said top portion to stabilize the ball and the portion of the air passing the apertures in the ball will produce a noise.

3. A pneumatic toy comprising, a cup having a substantially hemispherical recess therein, an air tube connected to the cup and having a passage terminating in laterally spaced jet openings providing communication from the passage to the recess in the cup, said jet openings being spaced from the bottom center of the recess and inclined toward the opposite side of the cup substantially midway between the bottom center and the upper edge of the recess, a hollow ball of light weight and having a thin shell resting in the cup recess, said ball being spherical and smaller in diameter than the recess, said ball having a plurality of spaced apertures arranged in laterally spaced circular rows and in planes equally spaced from one of the great circles on the ball, the lateral spacing of the circular, rows substantially corresponding to the lateral spacing. of the jet openings, and means for connecting said air tube to a source of air supply whereby jets of air issuing from the jet openings will impinge on the lower portion of the ball and cause said ball to rotate and rise to float within the recess and the air passing the apertures in the ball will produce a noise and also keep the ball rotating about an axis perpendicular to the circular rows of apertures.

4. A pneumatic toy comprising, a cup having a substantially hemispherical recess therein, an air tube connected to the cup and having a passage terminating in laterally spaced jet openings providing communication from the passage to the recess in the cup, said jet openings being spaced from the bottom center of the recess and inclined toward'the opposite side of the cup substantially midway between the bottom center andthe upper edge of the recess, a hollow ball of light weight and having a thin shell resting in the cup recess, said ball being spherical and smaller in diameter than the recess, said ball having a plurality of spaced apertures arranged in laterally spaced circular rows and in planes equally spaced from one of the great circles on the ball, the lateral spacing of the circular rows substantially corresponding to the lateral spacing of the jet openings, and a mouthpiece on the air tube by which an operator can blow air therein and through the jet openings whereby the jets of air will impinge on the lower portion of the ball and cause said ball to rotate and rise to float within the recess and the air passing the apertures in the ball will produce noise and also keep the ball rotating about an axis perpendicular to the circular rows of apertures with some of the air entering the apertures at the lower portion of the ball and escaping through apertures and increasing air pressure at the upper portion of the ball to stabilize same.

5. A pneumatic toy comprising, a hollow lightweight ball having a thin shell, said ball being spherical and having a plurality of spaced apertures arranged in laterally spaced circular rows and in planes equally spaced from one of the great circles on the ball, and a body member having a recess therein larger in diameter than the ball whereby said ball is received in said recess, said body member having spaced air passages communicating with the recess adjacent the bottomthereof and spaced from the bottom center, said passages being inclined upwardly toward a point between the bottom center and the upper edge of the opposite side of the cup, the spacing between the air passages corresponding to the spacing between the circular rows of apertures in the ball whereby air issuing from the passages will cause said ball to rotate and rise to float within the recess and air passing the aperturesin the ball will produce noise and also keep the ball rotating about an axis perpendicular to the circular rows of apertures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

